Bed of Roses
by phoenixnz
Summary: Clark is a widower who works as a florist. He is walking the city streets one night when he spots Lois Lane crying in the window of her apartment.
1. Chapter 1

"I don't suppose you have any irises? I do so love them."

Clark looked at his favourite customer. Lyn Kinsey was in the shop almost every other day buying flowers. He supposed the elderly widow was lonely. She had lost her husband four years ago and her children had all grown up and moved far away.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Kinsey, I'm fresh out. I could try and get some for you tomorrow though," he answered, leaning on the counter holding back his strength just enough so the glass wouldn't crack.

"Oh, you are a dear boy. It's such a shame you're on your own. Such a handsome boy like you I'm sure would be a good match for any girl."

"Thanks, Mrs Kinsey, but I'm really not looking right now."

"Oh goodness," she smiled. "Of course. Pay me no mind." She picked up her shopping bag and turned to go. "Are you sure you have no irises? I do so love them."

"Maybe next time," he smiled. "Good night, Mrs Kinsey. Be careful out there. It's a little icy on the pavement. I wouldn't want you to fall and break an ankle."

Clark waited until the elderly lady had gone, then began packing things away prior to closing the shop for the night. It had been a quiet day, but it usually was in winter. Still, it was going to be Valentine's Day soon enough and more customers would come in looking to please their spouses or girlfriends.

He sighed. His mother had once told him that while the holiday was a special day for some, she believed that the rest of the year was equally important in a loving relationship. His father had lived up to that the entire time his parents had been married. Growing up, Clark had often seen his parents cuddling together on the couch in front of the television. His father would often come in with a single flower, or something else he had found for Martha Kent to treasure.

Martha often said she didn't need a holiday to offer proof that Jonathan loved her. It was there in the little things he did for her, like taking out the garbage, or rubbing her feet at the end of a long and tiring day working on the farm, even when he was exhausted himself.

Clark sighed again as he finished closing for the night and turned the sign on the door around to 'closed', pulling the security grille down to protect the front of the shop. Not that thieves would be interested in stealing from a florist. Especially this time of year when business was very slow.

Lifting his collar against the icy wind – not that he needed to, since he didn't really feel the cold – Clark headed out through the dark evening, bowing his head against the elements as snow began to fall. As he reached the end of the street, he heard the unmistakable sounds of screeching brakes and the crash of metal colliding with metal. Glancing around him, Clark took off in the direction of the sounds.

Seconds later, he arrived at the scene of the crash. A car had clearly skidded on ice through the intersection, crashing into the driver's side of another car which had been waiting for the lights to change. The car had been pushed by the momentum into a lamp post and the driver was trapped. Without hesitation, Clark pushed the two cars apart, pulling the door off its hinges so the young woman was free. He glanced at her to check she was otherwise unhurt and apart from a small cut on her forehead, she appeared to be fine. Then he took off into the night.

It had all occurred within two seconds.

The car accident wasn't the only incident that night and Clark was kept busy running all over the city. He finally made it back to his tiny apartment in the heart of Suicide Slums around midnight. Clark grabbed enough ingredients to make himself a sandwich and ate it watching the news on television, keeping the volume low so as not to disturb his neighbours.

"And in our local feature tonight, we look at Metropolis' mysterious Guardian. Just who is this guardian angel the entire city is talking about? Here's Linda Lake with more."

A blonde woman appeared on the screen, holding tightly to the edges of a wool coat with one hand and a microphone in the other, looking as if she was freezing as she spoke to the camera.

"Is he man or myth? Who is the man they call Metropolis' Guardian and why does he hide in the shadows? Tonight we have heard of at least a dozen incidents in which this 'Guardian' has come to the rescue. But no one seems to know who he is. In fact, no one has ever seen his face. He seems to arrive quickly and is gone in seconds."

Clark's phone rang and he picked it up before he could get any complaints from the next apartment.

"Clark, what are you doing?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing, Chloe?"

"You know, Lana ..."

"Yes, I know," he interrupted. "She always said if they found out what I was they would put me in a lab and dissect me. I know that, Chloe."

"Well, shouldn't you be ..."

"Lana's not here, Chloe. Look, I appreciate the concern, but I need to do something."

"What happened was not your fault, Clark. You have to believe that."

"You don't know that. I could have ..."

"Could have what? Clark, there was nothing you could have done to save them. Trust me on this. Going out there and trying to save the rest of the world isn't going to change what happened either."

"And I can't just sit around and do nothing, Chloe. I hear them. Calling out for someone to help them."

"Okay," she answered softly. "Just ... promise me you'll be careful, okay? I mean it, Clarkbar. I love you and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I promise," he told his best friend.

He cleaned up quickly and went to bed, falling asleep quickly. The dream started as it always did. Lana had been getting ready to go out, taking their baby daughter with her.

"Lana," he began.

"Not now, Clark. I'm going to be late."

"But we need to talk about this."

"Clark, there's nothing to talk about. I told you I don't like the idea of you going out and using your powers. You know what will happen."

"I know. They'll put me in a lab and experiment on me," he replied, repeating the phrase he'd heard so many times.

Lana canted her head, her brown-eyed gaze searching. She laid a soft hand on his cheek and smiled sadly.

"Honey, I know this is hard, but you have to let it go. For me. For Laura."

Clark nodded, looking down at his baby daughter. The seven-month-old had eyes just like her mother's, but the rest of her was all him. Black hair that tended toward unruly, long limbs and a dimpled smile.

She held out her chubby arms and Clark lifted her, breathing in her baby scent as he hugged her.

"We have to go," Lana said softly. "I love you."

"I love you," he told her.

"I'll see you tonight."

He watched as Lana took the baby, carrying her out to the car, then turned back into the house with a sigh, shrugging his shoulders. They had a small organic vegetable crop and he needed to make sure the crops were protected from the frost. Winter had come early this year and the last thing they needed was to lose it all to frostbite.

He'd been working in the garden for an hour when his hearing picked up the sound of a car coming up the lane. He paused and looked up, shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight, frowning as he realised the car belonged to Sheriff Adams.

Clark put down his tools and walked over to the yard where the sheriff was waiting. He could see her grim expression.

"Mr Kent," she said.

"Sheriff?"

She seemed to be steeling herself for something and Clark looked at her.

"I hate this," she whispered. Clark managed to catch it with his super-hearing, an ability that had developed a couple of years earlier. She looked up at him.

"Mr Kent, I don't like bringing bad news, but ..."

"What is it?" he said, his heart pounding.

"There was an accident. A truck ... on the highway ... skidded on some black ice. I'm so sorry. Your wife and daughter ... they're gone, son."

Clark fell to his knees, his mouth open in a silent scream. Then he woke up.

He sat up suddenly in his bed, his hands shaking as he combed his fingers through his hair. He looked over to the nightstand. The LED on the clock told him it was 2.25 am. He'd barely been asleep an hour.

Clark rolled over, balling up his pillow and laying his head back down to try to get back to sleep. Falling asleep was never the problem. Staying asleep, however ...

He once again began to dream, this time instead of the sheriff coming to visit, his super-hearing picked up the sound of the crash from roughly forty miles away. Dropping his tools, Clark ran. As he sped toward the scene, everything he passed moved slowly, as if he was observing a movie where the frames were running at one per second instead of twenty-four, or whatever it was. Even the exhaust from cars he passed on the highway seemed to be almost frozen, as if it had been hit by the cold air and instantly turned to ice.

As he made it to the scene, he saw his wife in the front seat of the car. Her face was covered in blood, the entire driver's side of the car stoved in as if it had been hit by a battering ram, which probably wasn't too far from the truth. The truck which had hit it side-on had bounced off, the driver throwing up on the side of the road. Lana was dead, her body broken. As Clark pulled the door off, he sank to his knees, screaming. The baby had been crushed in her car seat. She'd been too young to have developed invulnerability yet.

When Clark woke again, he got up, knowing there was no way he would ever get back to sleep again after the dream. He was just too shaken.

As he went to the kitchen to make himself a hot coffee, he glanced at the picture on the sideboard. It had been one taken of Lana and the baby when Laura had been just three weeks old. Lana had insisted on naming her after her mother and Clark hadn't had the heart to suggest something else, even though the last thing he'd wanted was yet another reminder of the devastation he'd caused when he'd fallen to Earth.

It hadn't happened exactly like the dream. Lana and the baby had still been killed instantly in the crash, but it hadn't been winter. It had been the height of summer. They'd been fighting over his abilities and Lana hadn't been going into town. She had been leaving him. Maybe not for good, she'd told him, but just for a while. She needed her space.

The truck driver had been drunk and should never have been behind the wheel. When Clark had learned that the man had already had several DUIs he was furious. It was not the first time the man had driven drunk but it was the first time he had killed someone.

He spent the rest of the night staring out into the darkness, waiting for the sun to come up.

Nell was already in the shop when he arrived at eight, half an hour before they opened. She smiled at him, handing him a take-out cup of steaming hot chocolate. Her smile quickly turned into a frown.

"You didn't sleep again, did you?" she asked. "Are you having those dreams again?"

He sighed and nodded.

"Sweetie, you need to sleep."

"Every time I close my eyes I keep thinking about what I could have done differently."

Nell hugged him. "Oh honey, I know, but Lana wouldn't want you to live like this. Why don't you take some time off, maybe go down to the house in Smallville."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Too many memories."

"Sweetie, it's been three years. You have to let it go."

"I can't, Nell. It's my fault they're dead. Just like ... just like Mom and Dad."

"Now, you listen to me, Clark Kent," Nell said fiercely. "You were ten years old when your parents died. What happened to them was an accident. An accident! Not even you, with all your abilities, could change what happened. Baby, you can't see into the future, and you can't change the past, no matter how much you want to."

Clark sat in the back office, sipping his hot chocolate while he checked over the paperwork, preparing for his work day. Nell worked in front, sweeping the floor and making sure everything was in its place. She finished just in time for their first customer.

It was quiet for sales. There were still two weeks to go to Valentines Day and Nell predicted they would have a boom in sales for the two days prior to the holiday and sales would drop off once again until late Spring.

Clark signed for a delivery and noted Mrs Kinsey's promised irises were among the other blooms. As he began to arrange them, he heard the old lady's voice and went out to greet her.

"Hello, Mrs Kinsey. Look what I have for you."

The elderly lady's face lit up in a brilliant smile.

"Oh, you are a dear, sweet boy."

Nell laughed. "Clark's hardly a boy," she chuckled, smiling fondly at him.

"Oh, but to me, he is a boy," Mrs Kinsey replied. "You remind me so much of my dear departed Arthur. He was such a gentleman. Do you know, he brought me irises the first time he came by the house asking my father for permission to court me. Oh, he was so handsome, my Arthur."

"You must miss him," Clark said as he wrapped up the flowers.

"I do," she smiled, her eyes reflecting her sadness. "He was my dearest friend, and my husband. Are you married, Clark?"

The old lady seemed to have a touch of dementia, since she already knew that Clark was alone. Clark felt a twinge of sympathy for the older woman.

"No, ma'am," he explained patiently. "My wife died three years ago."

"She was my niece, Lana," Nell interjected softly. "I adopted her when her parents were killed and took Clark in when he was ten. They were high school sweethearts."

"Forgive me for being a nosy old woman but how did ..."

"It was a car crash," Clark answered, his voice barely above a whisper. Still, the old lady heard him as she nodded sympathetically.

"Never give up, my dear. Your Lana would not want you to be alone. No one should be alone."

"That's what I keep telling him," Nell smiled.

"You have a kind heart and a gentle soul," Mrs Kinsey told him. "One day, you'll see. You will meet the young lady who will be like my Arthur was for me."

Clark watched her leave with a smile.

"She's right, you know," Nell said quietly. "No one should be alone."

"You are," he pointed out.

Nell had dated his adoptive father in high school and had admitted she was more than a little put-out when he'd fallen for Martha Clark. She continued to think of Martha as an interloper because Clark's mother had been from Metropolis. She wasn't from Smallville and a small-town such as the one Clark had grown up in tended to look after its own. Still, once she had adopted Lana, Nell had become completely focused on raising her sister's child after Laura and Louis Lang had been killed in the meteor shower in '89.

Living so close to the Kent Farm meant that Lana and Clark played together as children, although Clark's parents had been a little wary, especially since Clark was so much stronger than other children. Yet, he had seemed to have an innate sense of his own ability and realised very early on how fragile human children were, and had always been careful.

Nell had immediately offered to take Clark in after the accident which had killed his parents. He had a grandfather who lived in Metropolis, but the old man, who hadn't known Clark existed, hadn't wanted to take in a ten year old boy. Clark's grandmother had died five years earlier and the old man had retired from his law practice. Nell eventually told him that William Clark hadn't been happy when his daughter had married a small-town farmer, thinking Jonathan had been beneath her.

Of course, there might have been another reason why the man didn't want Clark. When they'd been going over the farm, preparing it for sale, Clark had found his spaceship in the storm cellar. There had been a package which his parents had left, along with their wills, in a safety deposit box at the bank telling Clark the whole story of how they had found him in the cornfield the day of the meteor shower.

Having an alien for a grandson was probably just too much for the old man to take.

Clark supposed he was fairly lucky as kids went. He could have been placed in the foster system, bounced around from foster home to foster home. At least with Nell he could stay in Smallville.

That changed four years later when a deadly tornado struck the town. Nell met an insurance adjustor named Dean and decided to move to Metropolis with him when he asked her to marry him. Lana and Clark reluctantly left Smallville behind and moved to Dean's house in the suburbs.

Nell and Dean divorced about a year after Clark and Lana married and moved back to Smallville to take over Nell's old house, which she had never sold. Meanwhile, Lana's aunt used the proceeds of the sale of the old movie theatre to invest in a small florist shop in central Metropolis. It didn't make a lot of money but it was enough for them both to live comfortably. Lana had worked part-time until she'd had baby Laura and when she'd died, Clark had once again moved to the city to help Nell run the shop.

"Sweetie, please don't use me as an excuse not to live your life."

"I am living," he told her. "I'm helping you."

"But you're not helping yourself," she chided gently. "Clark, this isn't living. This is just ... existing."

"You don't need me?" he asked, feeling a little hurt.

"Sweetie, I will always need you, but this isn't who you are. You should be doing something with your abilities. I know you're the one they're calling the Guardian."

"How do you ..."

"I may be old, Clark, but I'm not blind."

"You're not old," he said in protest.

She snickered. "Tell that to the teenagers in my building," she said wryly. "Anyway, don't change the subject. Clark, you want to help people, but you can't do that if you're just sitting in a florist shop wasting your life away."

"But Lana ..."

"Clark, I loved Lana dearly but she was wrong, about a lot of things. She thought you would be happy living with her in Smallville with your white picket fence and your little patch of Earth. You were meant for more than that. Your parents knew that and deep down I think you know it too."

Another customer came into the shop and Nell went to help them. Clark watched her for a moment, then returned to the back office to see to the books. He'd always been good at maths and Nell had been more than happy for him to take over the book-keeping.

They closed the shop an hour later and went their separate ways. Nell didn't mention their earlier talk and Clark didn't broach the subject.

Not willing to go home just yet, Clark decided to walk around the city for a while. The streets were quiet. It had snowed again earlier and it seemed no one wanted to brave the cold, so he had no rescues to attend to.

As he passed by a tall brownstone, he glanced up at a brightly lit window. A woman was standing at the window with a cordless phone in her hand. Her expression suggested the conversation was not a happy one.

The woman was beautiful with long, wavy hair the colour of almost a chocolate brown and clear, unblemished skin. She appeared to be taller than Lana, who had been medium height, although it was difficult to judge given the distance.

He knew he shouldn't eavesdrop, but there was just something about the woman's face that made him tune in his super-hearing.

"Luce, I know you want to come, but you have a baby to take care of. There isn't much you can do. There's nothing anyone can do." She listened for a few moments. "I don't know. They won't tell me much. You know what the military brass is like."

She talked for a few more minutes, then hung up. As Clark watched, she put the phone down, then covered her face with her hands and started to cry.


	2. Chapter 2

Lois Lane threw her briefcase onto her desk with a heavy sigh. It had been another sleepless night, phoning all the contacts on her Rolodex just trying to find someone who could give her information that wasn't classified.

She sat down, her head in her hands, trying not to fall apart. It had been two weeks since her father had gone M.I.A while inspecting the troops in Afghanistan and no one would tell her a damn thing. Why her father had felt the need to go into a warzone in the first place was beyond her.

A gentle tapping on the top of her desk had her looking up.

"You look like crap, Lane," Perry said.

"I was up all night trying to find someone who could tell me what the hell's going on over there."

Her editor-in-chief was sympathetic, but there was little even he could do.

"Why don't you take a couple of days off?" he asked kindly.

"I can't, Perry. You know I can't. I have that story on Intergang I'm still chasing."

"You're no good to us like this."

"I need to keep busy," she told him. Otherwise, she would go crazy, she thought. Working helped keep her mind off the thought that her father might be lying somewhere in the desert, injured, unable to get help.

Okay, quit it, Lane, she mentally berated herself. She had been imagining the worst for close on two weeks, ever since the general's aide-de-camp had called and told her he was missing.

She had racked her brains trying to think of anything but the worst case scenario. She had called everyone she could think of, asking them if there were any reports of any insurgents in the area, but none of them could come up with the goods.

The sound of a deep voice had her looking up and she tried to put on a brave face.

"Mr Luthor," she said, for the benefit of the other reporters outside her office.

Lex Luthor smiled at her, then reached out, taking her arm.

"I've been speaking with Perry," he said. "If I may have a few moments of your time."

"Of course," she said.

She accompanied the bald billionaire out and down to the street. He started to lead her to a black limousine.

"Lex, I have a lot of work to do," she began in protest.

"Lois, you're exhausted," he admonished her gently.

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

"At least let me buy you a cup of coffee," he said, indicating a coffee shop a short distance away. Lois sighed, but went with him.

"Is there no news?" he asked solicitously as they sat down in the coffee shop.

"No," she sighed. "I've tried everyone I can think of but the brass won't budge."

"I can give Congressman Leonard a call. He has some pull with the military."

"Thank you, Lex, but I doubt even Congressman Leonard can get it out of them."

"I would still like to offer my assistance."

"And I appreciate it, but I don't know how much good it will do."

Lois had met the young billionaire through her cousin, Chloe, who had known the man in Smallville. While they hadn't been close friends or anything, Lex had taken a peculiar interest in Chloe's stories on people who she claimed were infected by meteors which had hit the town more than twenty years ago.

Lois had found the man to be charming, although part of her wondered if it was just an act. She had learned through several sources that Luthorcorp was involved in some kind of experimental project involving the green meteor rock, but she was yet to find proof. She often wondered if Lex was only allowing the relationship to continue to keep her from investigating him, but it only made her more determined.

Chloe had often suggested that Lex was one of the many who had been changed by the meteors, since he had been exposed at the time of the meteor shower. He'd once claimed that his so-called mutation had helped him when he had almost drowned after running his car off Loeb Bridge. A truck driver had pulled him out of the water, performing CPR.

"Lois, don't worry. I can contact a dozen people who will work day and night to determine what has happened to your father."

"I can't ask you to do that, Lex," she said. "I could never pay you back."

"It's not about the money, Lois. I thought we were friends."

"We are," she said, "but I still can't ask."

"You're not asking, I'm offering."

She knew what he was doing. There was no denying that he was attracted to her, but she felt nothing for him. She'd tried. God knew, she'd tried, but no man had ever stirred her emotions.

Lex left soon after, promising to call her as soon as he had something to report, while Lois went back to her office. She stopped in the doorway, staring at the beautiful bouquet of yellow tulips. She glanced around, wondering who could have given her the flowers. It was not an elaborate bouquet, so it couldn't have been Lex. She wasn't even sure tulips were in bloom around Metropolis.

Still, someone had sent them.

She picked up the bouquet, sniffing the delicate fragrance. A card fell out of the gold paper used to wrap the bouquet and she picked it up.

There was no signature. All it said was: _From A Friend._

It was a mystery, and one she was determined to solve.

Lois left her office and grabbed Jeff, the intern.

"Jeff, did you see who left the flowers?"

He looked almost terrified as he stared at her.

"Flowers, what flowers?"

Well, that answered that, she thought. She grabbed another reporter, asking them the same thing. No one in the office seemed to know.

Lois spent half the afternoon trying to find out who the 'friend' was but the more people she asked, the more annoyed they seemed to be. Perry finally came down to her office.

"Lane, what in the name of ..."

She looked up at her boss. "Perry, someone sent me flowers and I have no idea who."

"And this is worth creating a ruckus in the entire office? Have you ever thought of actually asking the florist?" he said, handing her the card.

Lois stared at him, then down at the card, almost smacking herself in the head. Of course, she thought. She was an idiot!

A cold southeasterly was blowing as she left the office just after six and made her way to the florist, looking at the card to make sure she had the right address. It just said Potter's Florist. She snorted, thinking with that name the owner might have come up with something a little more imaginative.

The bell above the door announced her arrival as she stepped inside. The shop was open until eight, but it looked empty. A middle-aged brunette stood at the counter, sorting through some flowers. She was conservatively dressed, wrapped up warmly against the cold, although the shop wasn't that cold.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Um, someone sent me flowers but I don't know who they were. I wondered if you could tell me."

"Of course. I have a ledger I keep all my deliveries in. May I have your name?"

"It's Lois. Lois Lane. I work at the Daily Planet."

The woman frowned. "Well, I don't recall any deliveries to the Daily Planet today, but I'll look it up."

She opened a large volume on the side of the counter, rifling through the pages. She turned back to her, frowning.

"I don't see any delivery on my books for a Lois Lane or the Daily Planet," she said. "Are you sure they were for you?"

Lois handed her the card. It had been addressed to her so there was definitely no mistake.

"Well, it is a mystery," the woman said.

"I just don't understand who would send me flowers anonymously. Maybe, uh, maybe the owner ..."

"I'm the owner dear," she said.

"Well, maybe one of your employees ..."

"I only have one employee, and I doubt he would know. I'm very sorry. What kind of arrangement was it?"

"Tulips. Yellow ones."

The woman's face took on a strange look. Lois wondered if she did know who the gift had come from after all.

"Well, tulips are an uncomplicated flower. I do remember that arrangement," she said finally, "but it was paid for in cash. We do have blank cards: perhaps they wrote it themselves."

Lois sighed. The woman was clearly trying to be helpful but it wasn't telling her what she needed to know.

"You don't remember the buyer?"

"All I can tell you is it was a young man. He wanted to drop them off personally."

Lois frowned. Surely security would have stopped him. Ever since Lex had taken over as publisher, security had been beefed up so no one could get in without a visitor's pass at least.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help to you," the woman said.

"I'm sorry too," Lois said softly.

"If you don't mind my saying, you don't look well. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I'm just ... it's just ... well, I've been having a bit of a rough time lately and when I got to my office and saw the flowers, it was just ... I mean, it had me wondering who would just give me flowers like that. See, there's this man I've sort of been seeing. I mean, it's not really like that. We're friends, I guess, even though he's sort of my boss, and I know he wants more, but ... I just knew he wouldn't give me yellow tulips. He's more of a roses kind of guy."

"Perhaps the young man knew you were having a rough time," the shop owner said.

"That's just it. I don't have that many male friends. Actually, I don't have that many friends, period. I mean, my cousin Chloe, she's like my best friend and she's pretty much the only person I really talk to. Maybe if you gave me a description ..."

"I'm sorry. I really would love to help but perhaps the man who did this wanted to keep his identity a secret for a reason."

"But why would someone do that?" Lois argued. "I mean, buy flowers for a complete stranger?"

"It has been known to happen."

The cynic in her thought that was just asking for trouble. No one did anything for free these days. She should know, since she spent her time at work covering the aftermath of such incidents. Either the man was a hospital case or he was a stalker. That had to be it, she told herself.

The bell rang and a man came in. Lois turned to glance at him and did a double take. He was tall and broad-shouldered with what seemed to be a very impressive chest. He had clearly been out in the snow as his dark, wavy hair was covered in flakes. She studied his handsome face, slightly hidden by the heavy black frames of the spectacles he wore.

"Nell, I've finished with the deliveries ..."

He stopped mid-sentence, staring back at her, his expression very much resembling a deer caught in the headlights look. Lois was suddenly filled with a sense of certainty that this man not only knew about the flowers, but was very likely the one who had sent them.

"Clark," Nell said. "This is Lois Lane. From the Daily Planet. Miss Lane, this is my foster son, Clark. He works with me."

"Hello," she said cautiously.

"Um, hi," he said, blushing furiously.

There was utter silence in the shop as they stared at each other. Lois gathered her wits about her and looked at the older woman, who was smiling broadly. It was hard to tell whether the look on her face meant she knew exactly what Clark had done but Lois was fairly sure the woman knew at least the partial truth.

"I should go," she said. "I'm sorry to have taken up so much of your time."

"Nonsense," Nell replied. "You're welcome to visit any time, Miss Lane."

Again, Clark seemed to blush as he looked at her. Lois went to move past him to get to the door. The shop was fairly small and he took up a lot of room.

"Uh, 'bye Clark," she said.

"'Bye, Miss Lane," he answered.

She returned to the office but only long enough to pick up the bouquet of flowers and head home. She took a frozen dinner of macaroni and cheese out and put it in the microwave to heat up, opening up her laptop.

"Tulips," she said aloud, checking the search engine.

Nell had said they were an uncomplicated flower. According to one site, a yellow tulip was meant to convey cheerful thoughts and sunshine. Lois frowned as she read. It seemed to her that Clark had wanted to cheer her up, but how had he known she was sad?

The microwave beeped and she took out the meal, grimacing at the gluggy mess. She grabbed a fork and picked at it, then decided to toss the lot in the trash. Sighing, she picked up her coat from the chair where she'd draped it earlier and grabbed her keys. It looked like she'd be eating takeout again tonight, she thought.

Lois was a hopeless cook. She supposed it stemmed from the years of living on army bases with her father. Her mother had been diagnosed with cancer when Lois was six and had died about two months after the diagnosis. Her father, ever the soldier, had done his best to cope with both his daughters but the then Colonel Sam Lane had spent far too much time on the field in battle to learn anything about the domestic side which Ella had been responsible for. What he knew about cooking and housework could be written on the head of a pin. Lois, and her sister Lucy, had been stuck with the food from the Mess.

She walked along the sidewalk, careful to avoid the slippery ice. A truck had been through earlier to lay down salt after the new snowfall but there were still parts of the sidewalk the salt hadn't been scattered. Just as she passed an alleyway to cross over to the Chinese restaurant where she normally bought dinner, she felt a hand on her arm.

What happened next was almost a blur. She felt herself pushed out into the street, throwing up her arm to defend herself even as she saw the headlights coming toward her. No sooner had she done so then she was on her feet again and a man was laying on the ground beside her, appearing to be stunned.

She started to bend down to check on the man and he disappeared before her eyes. Startled, she looked around for the man but didn't see him. She frowned. How could a man be there one second and gone the next? Especially if he was unconscious.

She shook her head, deciding it wasn't worth worrying about, then started to walk across the street. She noticed a dark shape lying on the road and bent over for a closer look, alarmed to discover it was a gun.

Lois took her phone out of her bag and dialled a number.

"Perry? Lane. I think I was just saved from a mugging by Metropolis' very own Guardian."


	3. Chapter 3

Clark was relieved when Nell hadn't said a word to him the rest of the day or as they were shutting up shop, although the expression on her face showed she knew what he'd done. He hadn't expected Lois to come down to the shop and try to find out for herself, but he supposed that had been a little naive.

It had taken him several days to figure out who she was. There had been no name in the slot next to the apartment when he'd gone back to try to find her. Still, that hadn't deterred him. He'd waited across the street from the building, hoping he would catch her and had spotted her two days later, coming down the steps. Clark had discreetly followed her as she walked to work.

He supposed it could be considered stalking, but for some reason, he'd felt a pull toward Lois. He'd learned her name after another two days of watching the Daily Planet and hearing someone call after her. A further search of the newspaper itself had revealed her last name.

As he walked the streets that night, dressed in a black t-shirt and pants, covered by a black leather jacket, he thought more about the woman. He still didn't know why she was so sad, but the little he had seen of her, he'd noticed her features were drawn and pale. She was clearly exhausted and her face had the pinched look of someone who had been crying a lot over the past few days. All he'd wanted to do was let her know that she wasn't alone. That there was someone who cared.

As he walked, he found himself approaching her apartment building. Chloe would probably have laughed at him, telling him he was doing the same thing he'd once done with Lana. Despite the fact they'd basically been brought up as siblings, he'd always thought he'd had feelings for her. It wasn't until they were actually married that he found himself wondering if that was really it. If there wasn't something else out there for him.

The only reason he and Lana had got married in the first place was because she had become pregnant. They had both really been too young to get married, at nineteen, but Clark had chosen to do the 'honourable' thing. He had loved her, but there were times when he wondered if he had actually been in love with her.

It was one of the things they had been fighting about the day she had decided to leave Smallville and visit Nell for a while. Her aunt had just got divorced as well and Lana had wanted to spend time with her.

Distracted, Clark didn't realise Lois was walking in front of him until he looked up. She was just walking past an alleyway and was stepping off the kerb to cross the road when a man attacked her from behind. Clark immediately blurred into action, giving the mugger a tap on the head just enough to knock him out and grabbed Lois before she could fall into the path of an oncoming car, setting her down on her feet and speeding just out of sight.

Realising the mugger was starting to come to his senses, Clark once again returned to the scene and picked him up before Lois could realise what was happening. Without evidence, he knew the police would just let the man go, so he dumped him a few blocks away. By the time the man was fully conscious, Clark was miles away.

There were no other incidents that night and Clark returned to his apartment just before midnight, heating up a tv dinner with his heat vision. Just as he settled down to eat, his phone rang.

"You're rescuing my cousin from a mugging now?"

"Huh?" he asked Chloe.

"I heard all about it," she said. "I just got off the phone with Lois."

He frowned. "Lois Lane is your cousin?"

"I told you about her, don't you remember?"

"Chloe, I ..." He shook his head. He vaguely recalled Chloe mentioning a cousin who had been a year older, but not her name.

"She also said something about some tulips? Clark, what are you doing?"

"I was just ... trying to be nice."

"I get that, but you might want to curb your stalker tendencies. Lois does tend to get a little obsessed about things and she's going to be asking some pretty tough questions. I told you your big heart would get you into trouble one day."

"Yeah, you did," he said with a smile. "It's just ... I don't know what it is, Chloe. I just saw her one night and she was so sad. I just ... I needed to do something."

"That's what I love about you, Clarkbar." Chloe's voice was tender, but there was a slight edge to it. "Just ... don't try to read more into it than there is already, okay? I mean, Lois is a lot of things but she doesn't do relationships. I just ..."

"Don't want me to get hurt," he finished. Chloe meant well, but he was still big enough to take care of himself.

Chloe was his best friend. His only friend, really. They'd known each other since middle school when Chloe's father had moved them to Smallville. Gabe Sullivan had taken up a job at the Luthorcorp fertiliser plant as a manager. A year later, Lex Luthor had moved in to oversee the plant. Clark really only knew the man in passing, having met him years earlier, but the young Luthor scion had shown an interest in Chloe's articles on the meteor infected.

Once Nell had moved them to Metropolis, Clark's friendship with Chloe had basically dwindled down to the occasional visit or emailing every week. Then Chloe had moved back to the city after high school graduation to study at Met U and she'd managed to get an internship at the Daily Planet. She was now the youngest deputy bureau chief at the newspaper but it hadn't come without long hours and hard work and a lot of sacrifices.

Clark went to bed late but for the first time in months he didn't dream about the accident. He dreamed about a beautiful, tall brunette.

XXXXX

Lois was determined to find out more about Clark Kent so she googled him. There was a newspaper article about the death of his wife and child in the Smallville Ledger. Lois read the article, tears in her eyes. The article had gone on to explain that Clark had been orphaned at the age of ten when his parents had been killed in another accident.

She was surprised to discover he had not only lived in Smallville, but had gone to Smallville High the same time as her cousin.

She'd already told Chloe about the mysterious tulips the day before, and her theory that Clark Kent had left them for her. She was a bit annoyed that Chloe hadn't told her she actually knew Clark.

It was time, she thought, for her cousin to answer a few questions.

Chloe's expression when they sat down at the coffee shop down the block suggested she knew exactly what Lois wanted to talk about.

"You want to know why I didn't tell you about Clark," she said. "Actually, I did. A few years ago."

Lois frowned. She didn't remember anything about ...

"Hey, wasn't he that geeky guy who worked on the school paper with you?"

"Until Nell moved him and Lana to Metropolis. Yeah, that's the guy. And he's not a geek."

"Well, it's just the way you talked about him, I got the impression he was kind of shy and well, a little, you know, uptight."

"Lo, if you'd been orphaned twice, you'd be a little reticent too."

She raised an eyebrow at her cousin, pausing for a moment as the waitress brought their coffees.

"What do you mean he was orphaned twice?"

"Well, he was adopted by the Kents. I think his real parents died when he was about two and he lived in an orphanage for about six months before he was adopted."

"That's so sad," Lois told her.

Chloe shrugged. "Even I know that sometimes bad things happen to good people. And Clark is a good guy, Lo. One of the best, actually."

"So, how come he works in a florist?"

"Well, Nell took him in when the Kents died. She thought it was better than him bouncing around from foster home to foster home. She had a little shop in Smallville but she bought the new one when she got divorced from her husband."

"And Clark's wife? What happened to her? The article said she and the baby were killed by a drunk driver."

Chloe nodded. "Clark still blames himself for it. Lo, you're not ... I mean, I know you. You don't do relationships. Are you interested in Clark?"

"I just wanted to know why he would leave me flowers, Chloe. I mean, he doesn't even know me."

"Well, that's Clark. He does nice things for people."

"But how did he even know where I worked? I mean, don't you think that's kind of creepy?"

"I'm sure that's not how Clark intended it to be. Besides, you're here asking me all these questions about him when really you should be talking to him about it all. Unless you think that will make you come off sounding kind of stalkerish."

Lois bit her lip. Okay, point taken, she thought. Still, she couldn't help but be intrigued by Clark. For someone who had seen so much tragedy in his life, she would have thought he would have backed off from doing anything for anyone, instead of leaving a gift designed to put a smile on her face.

Chloe sipped her coffee and grinned at her.

"So, tell me more about your little encounter with the Guardian."

"Not much to tell, really. I mean, this guy tried to mug me and pushed me out into the path of an oncoming car. Next thing I knew he's unconscious on the ground and I'm standing over him, then he's disappearing right before my eyes."

She'd done a little more digging on the mysterious Guardian as well. No one had ever seen his face, that she could learn, but there had been several saves over the past couple of years which could be attributed to him. A number of experts had expounded theories suggesting he was a meta-human but no one was really sure of the scope of his abilities. Strength and speed were a given, she thought, especially if he could come and go within the blink of an eye. The question was, where did he come from and how did he get those abilities.

Lois had been hearing several stories over the past few years of people who had strange abilities. There had been some circulating in Florida of a man who could swim like a fish and seemed to be able to breathe underwater. There were others of a young man who could run faster than the eye could see. In Star City, there were reports of a man dressed in green leather who seemed to be a modern-day Robin Hood and in Gotham a man dressed like a bat.

She wondered if the Guardian was one of them.

When she returned to the office, determined to dig up more about not only Clark but the mysterious Guardian, she found Lex waiting for her. He was sitting on the edge of the desk reading from one of the scrapbooks she had collated of her articles.

"I hope you don't mind me invading your space," he said.

"It's fine," she said, taking off her coat and hanging it on the rack. "Have you been here long?"

"Not long. Your collection of articles kept me entertained. You're a very talented writer, Lois."

She nodded her thanks at the compliment, wondering what he was doing.

"Olsen told me you were having coffee with your cousin," he continued.

"Oh, yeah. Just down the street."

Jimmy Olsen was a photography intern who'd only just joined the paper a couple of months ago. He was a freshman at Met U. Chloe had once dated his older brother, who had also been called Jimmy, although it was actually his middle name. The couple had broken up after a few months and Chloe's ex had moved to New York.

She frowned slightly at Lex before sitting down at her desk.

"Uh, so what can I do for you," she asked.

"It's more what I can do for you. I'm hosting a dinner party tomorrow night and I'd like you to come. As my guest."

"I don't think that's a good idea," she said slowly.

"I've invited General Cohen. I believe he has worked with your father before."

It was just like Lex to dangle such a carrot. She knew Jacob Cohen, or at least, of him, and if anyone knew what was going on with the search for her father, he would.

"Who else is coming to this dinner party?" she asked, knowing Lex was more than likely to set it up so she and Cohen were the only guests.

"Oh, just a few acquaintances," he said, almost airily. "Some old friends of my father's."

Lex was up to something. She could practically smell it. He might be setting things up for her to score points but he clearly had some other business deals he was trying to put together. She had to admit he was shrewd. Then again, he was apparently a certified genius.

Chloe had warned her when she'd met Lex for the first time that he was one of those people who were deceptively smart in a lot of ways. He knew just what screws to turn to get someone to see things his way. Given his rumoured high IQ, he could have been anything he chose to be, but had instead followed in Lionel Luthor's footsteps to become a ruthless businessman.

Lionel had been dead for about three years. Some had speculated that Lex had had him killed, or had done the dirty deed himself, but a source Lois had spoken to had told her Lionel had simply died of liver disease. It was his lifestyle, they said. Too much hard drinking, too much stress and too few vacations.

Lex knew very well she couldn't turn down a chance to find out more about her father's predicament and Lois found herself agreeing to go.

"I will pick you up from your apartment at seven," he said as he stood up to walk out the door.

"You will? Uh, don't you have a driver?" she asked.

He smiled briefly. "Indulge me. It isn't often I get to show off to a beautiful woman."

Lois was nervous the next evening when she dressed for the dinner party. She had already rejected several outfits. Some for being too conservative and others for being too sexy. She didn't want to give Lex the wrong impression.

She finally settled on a black knee-length wool dress that hugged her curves yet showed very little in the way of skin. Her hair was long and loose with a few soft curls to add body.

Lex knocked on the door precisely at seven. Lois picked up her purse and went to the door, unhooking the chain and unlocking each of the five deadbolts she had had installed. The bald billionaire smiled at her.

"You know, you really should check before you open the door. I might be an axe murderer or something." He laughed at his little joke.

"Uh, I guess," she said, anxious to leave. Lex paused in the doorway, looking around him.

"I like the way you decorated your apartment, Lois." He seemed to have spotted something and came all the way in to the room. "Tulips?" he said, going to touch one of the delicate petals.

"A gift. From a friend."

"I dated a girl once. She loved white tulips. They wouldn't be from an admirer would they?" he asked almost coyly.

Subtle, she thought, taking his arm.

"Lex, you have no reason to be jealous. Like I said, they were a gift from a friend. Shouldn't we be going? You don't want to keep your guests waiting."

"Of course, how silly of me," he said, his hand tightening around her arm.

Lois had heard Lex had a reputation for fast driving, but she hadn't believed it until she experienced it.

"Auditioning for NASCAR?" she asked as he sped through the streets.

"Surely my driving isn't that fast?" he asked mildly.

"That depends on which Andretti you're channelling," she retorted. He laughed.

"I've always enjoyed your wit, Lois."

She bit her lip. This was going to be one hell of an evening.

XXXXX

Clark fidgeted nervously next to Nell, wondering what on Earth he was doing here.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? You seem very nervous."

"What are we doing here, Nell?"

She looked around at the other guests. Most of them were property owners in Smallville.

"I wish I knew," she said. "Of course, I knew Lionel years ago, but as for his son ..."

Clark remembered an incident that had happened years ago, not long after he had gone to live with Nell. They had gone to the city so Lana could participate in a riding competition. Since Nell and Lionel had some mutual business interests, the older man had invited them to stay over at the Luthor mansion. Clark and Lana had gone to check out the indoor pool and had found Lex skinny-dipping with a girl.

Clark might have only been ten and rather naive, but it had been fairly obvious what Lex was doing. Lionel had been furious with his son for his behaviour. Lex had been totally unrepentant and had taken off shortly after.

When Lex had first come to Smallville, Lana had been the one to mention their brief meeting. Clark had been too embarrassed when he'd met the bald man at school.

He'd been curious when he'd received the invitation to a dinner party at Lex Luthor's penthouse. After all, Lex had barely spared him a passing glance when he'd come to talk to Chloe about her articles. What possible reason could he have for wanting to talk to Clark now?

He felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb at this party. He didn't know anyone there, although he was aware that some of them had been neighbouring farmers in Smallville. The only one he did know was Ben Hubbard, since he was the only one who had continued to talk to Clark after his parents died.

The chatter dropped and Lex came in, escorting a woman. Clark was stunned to realise it was Lois Lane. Were they dating? he asked himself.

Lois didn't seem all that happy to be there, darting Lex looks as he made his way into the room and introducing her with a possessive hand in the small of her back. She didn't strike Clark as the kind of woman who enjoyed proprietary gestures and from the expression on her face he could see she was definitely not happy with Lex for doing it.

Lex approached Nell with a smile on his face, taking her hand and kissing her cheek.

"Nell. It's wonderful to see you. I haven't seen you since my father died."

"Hello Lex. You're looking well," Nell greeted him politely.

Lex turned to Clark and shook his hand, the smile on his face reminding Clark of something he'd once seen on a nature program. Like the smile of a predator about to strike his prey.

"Clark. I'm glad you could make it. This is a friend of mine, Lois Lane."

He propelled Lois forward so suddenly her heel caught on the plush carpet and she almost fell. Clark reached out to steady her.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said, shooting Lex a look. The bald man had already moved on to greet someone else. "I didn't know you knew Lex," she continued.

"Nell more than me," he said. "Well, she knew his dad a few years back but we haven't had a lot to do with the Luthors."

"So, um, I hear you know my cousin."

He nodded, feeling his face grow hot.

"Chloe. She told me she'd talked to you."

"She, uh, told me about ... your family. I'm sorry, Clark. I lost my mom when I was six so I kind of know how you feel."

She couldn't possibly, he thought, but he appreciated the sentiment all the same.

Lex returned and guided Lois away to talk to someone else. She sent Clark an apologetic look, even as the other man began murmuring something to her. Clark was tempted to eavesdrop with his super hearing, but decided against it.

They sat down to dinner around eight. Clark was quick to notice that Lois was told to sit as far away from him as humanly possible. He had to wonder what Lex had seen between him and Lois that had him feeling so threatened.

Meanwhile, Lois was talking to an older man who had the posture of someone who had spent some time in the military. He sat with his back straight, his manner almost stiff. Lois was talking animatedly, waving her hands. The man kept shaking his head and she began looking more and more upset. Unable to help himself, Clark listened in.

"You have to tell me something," she said. "Someone has to know what happened to my father."

"I'm sorry, Miss Lane, you know your father's work is mostly classified."

"He's been M.I.A in Afghanistan for three weeks and you're telling me it's classified? How can a man missing in the desert be classified?"

"Is the food not to your liking?"

Clark turned and looked at Lex, startled. He'd barely touched the food on his plate and the other man was gazing pointedly at it.

"Oh, no, it's delicious," he said, hurriedly taking a bite of the chicken. "I'm a little curious though. Why did you invite me here tonight? I mean, we hardly know each other."

"Except that we both lived in Smallville for a time," Lex said. "Clark, it's very simple. I have a business proposition for you."

He blinked. "Business proposition?"

The bald man nodded. "I know that most of the farm was sold after your parents died, but you still have about twenty acres. Luthorcorp is interested in buying it."

Clark stared at him. Sure, most of the farm was gone, but there was still the homestead and the small parcel of land surrounding it. His grandfather had left it in trust for him until he was old enough to decide what he wanted to do with it, but he'd always been reluctant to sell it, since it was the only piece remaining of his parents' legacy.

What on Earth could Lex want with the land?


	4. Chapter 4

"Sweetie, what's wrong?"

Clark looked at Nell as they worked together to sweep the shop and make it ready for opening.

"I don't know," he sighed.

"You've been upset since that dinner with Lex the other night."

"He wants to buy what's left of the farm. Nell, that was my home. It's been in the Kent family for generations. Why would he be interested in it?"

"Well, maybe that's something you need to investigate," she said quietly. "I remember when you were a freshman in high school, you and Chloe used to investigate all manner of things for the school newspaper."

"I don't do that anymore."

She frowned. "I never understood that," she said. "Clark, honey, you're meant for so much more than selling flowers."

"But I'm helping you," he said reasonably, well aware that they'd already had this conversation far too many times in the past. Nell often told him he was as stubborn as his father.

"I know, sweetie, but this isn't the life I wanted for you. I'm sure it's not the life your parents wanted for you either."

Clark sighed heavily, leaning on the broom.

"Nell, I ..."

"Clark, I love you dearly. You were always a good boy and you've become the kind of man I can be proud of, but I want more for you than this shop."

"But Lana ..."

"Lana would have realised eventually that she was holding you back. Clark, why don't you take some of the money your parents left you and enrol in some classes at Met U? See what's out there."

Once the farmland had been sold, there hadn't been much left over after the mortgage had been paid but there had been enough for Clark to go to college. His grandfather had insisted the money be held in trust until he turned eighteen and Clark had invested it.

"I don't know," he said slowly.

"Clark, I don't mean to be blunt, but really, this shop is far too small for two of us. I could get by with a part-timer. I want you to really think about this. And think hard."

He bit his lip, then went back to sweeping, turning the sign around on the door when it was time to open. There were no customers waiting outside, despite the unseasonably warm weather. He had to admit that Nell was right about one thing. They really didn't do enough business to justify her keeping him on full-time. The only reason she did was because he was her foster son, and nephew by marriage. Nothing else.

Business was slow for the next couple of days and Nell told him to take a few days off. Faced with nothing to do, Clark took her advice and checked out classes at Met U. He was told he could take a couple of classes but he couldn't enrol full-time until the Fall. They did have a good journalism program which sounded interesting.

Back when he had been a sophomore, the school board had hired a new principal, Mr Reynolds. The man had decided that Clark was a bit of a slacker and needed to be brought into line, so he'd had him write an essay on where he thought he might be in five years' time. Clark had written that he would be in college, probably studying journalism. He had enjoyed working on the Torch with Chloe and considered himself to be a fairly decent writer.

When he wasn't out trying to help out as the Guardian, Clark spent the time pottering around in his little apartment. He was surprised when he received a call from Lex.

"I wondered if you would like to meet me for lunch," Lex said.

Clark's immediate thought was that Lex was still trying to persuade him to sell the land and his first instinct was to refuse, but he decided it couldn't hurt to hear the man out. Not that he was planning on selling. Someone had already tried once and Clark wanted to preserve what was left of his parents' legacy.

When he had been a freshman, a man named Bob Rickman had come to Smallville, looking to build a pesticide plant and he had decided what remained of the Kent farm would be the perfect location. He had tried to persuade Clark to sell and when that hadn't worked, had tried threats and murder. Chloe had helped him investigate Rickman and, along with a man who had once worked with Rickman, the sleazy businessman had been put away.

Rickman had found Clark to be a tough customer, and so would Lex.

Clark met the billionaire at an exclusive restaurant, feeling very out of place. Lex was charm itself, ignoring the manager's look of disdain at Clark for his casual clothes. Every other diner in the restaurant was wearing what Clark took to be designer threads and very out of his price range.

"Clark, I'm glad you could make it."

"Uh, thank you, Mr Luthor."

The other man smiled. "Lex, please. Mr Luthor was my father."

Clark nodded and smiled back, still feeling a little uncomfortable with the situation.

"What would you like to drink? They have an excellent Sauvignon, from the Napa Valley."

"Um, just water, please," he said, fidgeting nervously. "I don't really drink."

Well, it wasn't like it actually affected him, he thought. Lex looked surprised.

"Really? You're missing out on an experience."

Clark just nodded. Lex waved his hand at the waiter and ordered a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to be brought to the table. He continued to watch as Lex ordered expensive appetisers, from escargot to caviar. None of it sounded appealing to Clark.

"So, tell me a little about yourself Clark."

"Um, what do you want to know?"

"Your parents died when you were ten?"

He nodded. "Car crash. I don't like to talk about it much."

"You were married?"

He nodded again, feeling almost like a ventriloquist's dummy, his movements almost as if he was being manipulated.

"My wife and daughter were killed by a drunk driver."

"Yes, I read about that."

Clark had the impression Lex had had him investigated very thoroughly, which didn't make him at all comfortable. The other man continued to 'interrogate' him for a few minutes.

There was a brief lull in the conversation as the appetisers were brought out. To Clark, it looked like Lex was trying to 'woo' him or something because the man barely touched the food, pushing it on Clark. To be polite, Clark took the bite-sized piece of toast spread with caviar and sour cream and ate it, trying not to grimace at the taste.

"Lex, why did you ask me here?" he said.

"I wanted to get to know you."

"Why?"

"Because I think we could be good friends, Clark. I know we had very little opportunity to get to know each other in Smallville, but I've heard that you're a man of integrity. That's rare in my world."

Why did Clark have the feeling that Lex was fishing for something?

Lex asked him what his plans were, suggesting that he couldn't spend the rest of his life working as a florist. Clark ended up admitting that he and Nell had been discussing the same thing and that he had been considering enrolling at Met U.

"I know someone you should talk to," Lex replied. "Perry White. He's the editor-in-chief at the Daily Planet. I'm sure I can talk him into seeing you and perhaps employing you. At least part-time until you get your degree."

"Um, thank you, Lex," he said, wanting to tell the man he would rather not owe him any favours. He had the impression it would make very little difference.

Nothing was mentioned at all about the land Lex wanted to buy, which was odd in itself. Clark left almost two hours later still trying to figure the man out.

XXXXX

Lois was still trying to get a bead on what was going on at army headquarters. Jake Cohen had tried to help but he really hadn't been much help at all. He kept telling her that his hands were tied for the simple fact that her father's mission in Afghanistan had been classified.

Frustrated at the lack of news, Lois had walked out of the Daily Planet hoping a little fresh air would help get her mind off it. She hadn't expected to bump into Clark Kent on the sidewalk. Literally bump into him that was.

"Ow!" she said.

"Um, Miss Lane, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," Clark said.

"Well, that's kinda obvious!" she snapped, then realised what she had said. "I'm sorry."

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Not really, no."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"With you?" she said, looking up at him. This close, she could see he was very tall and very well-built.

Clark seemed to be trying for a disarming smile.

"Well, I have been told I'm a good listener."

"Um, sure," she said. "I could use a coffee anyway."

She walked with him to her favourite coffee shop a couple of blocks from the newspaper office. He watched, his mouth upturned in amusement at her complicated order.

"What?" she said.

"It must run in the family," he replied. "Chloe orders almost the same thing."

She chewed on her lip. "Oh, right. I forgot you and Chloe were close. Did you and she ever ..."

He frowned at her for a moment, then it was as if a lightbulb had been switched on over his head.

"Oh. No. We're just friends. Good friends. Lana was her best friend."

"Lana?" Lois raised her eyebrows. "Oh. Your wife."

The girl on the counter handed Lois her coffee and they sat down at a table. She noticed that Clark had ordered just a simple flat white.

"I would have thought you'd be working at the shop," she said.

"It was quiet, so Nell told me to take a few days off."

She studied him for a moment. He seemed a little uncomfortable under her gaze but said nothing.

"You know, I can't quite picture a guy like you as a florist."

"Uh, well, it helps pay the bills," he said.

"You never thought of doing anything else? Chloe said something about you working on the school paper with her."

"Yeah, I did for a while. The truth is, I was considering enrolling in classes at Met U. Well, Nell kind of pushed me into it."

"Hey, don't ask me about higher education," she told him. "I got kicked out of Met U my first semester. Under-age drinking."

She'd been extremely lucky she'd only been kicked out for that instead of assault. Not that she'd actually assaulted anyone. A few fraternity boys had challenged her in a drinking game, not realising that she'd spent half her teenage years drinking with Green Berets and Navy Seals. One of the frat boys had come on to her and she'd shoved him just hard enough to make him land on his butt. Police had arrested her the next day after the youth had been found paralysed, but Chloe had helped her prove her innocence, almost getting herself killed in the process.

Clark frowned at her.

"So, how did you end up a reporter without a college degree?"

"Oh, I never said I didn't get a college degree. My father put his foot down. It was either shape up or ship out."

"So ..."

"So I went to Kansas State. It doesn't have as good a journalism program as Met U, but it's still good."

"What made you choose journalism for a career?"

"I had to repeat my senior year at Smallville High and there was this girl. Abby. She'd had plastic surgery, at seventeen, mind you."

Clark frowned. "Wait. I think Chloe told me about this. You wrote that story?"

"Yeah." Lois laughed softly. Some of the students had sent in emails to the paper saying her story had 'changed their life'.

She had talked Chloe into talking to Lex, hoping he would persuade the dean at Met U to overlook her lack of credits and had got into the university after only a few weeks at the high school.

After the infamous Met U incident, in which she and Chloe had managed to break a story about college athletes faking drug tests, she had begun to see the potential in journalism as a career.

"So, what were you considering studying?" she asked.

He grimaced. "Uh, actually, journalism. I mean, I worked with Chloe for about a year or so on the Torch and I did spend some time working on the Met High paper when I was there."

"Why did you move?" Lois asked curiously.

"Well, Nell met this guy after the tornado. Dean. He's an insurance adjustor. They decided to get married a few months later and we had no choice but to move to the city. Nell and Dean got a divorce a few months after Lana and I moved back to Smallville."

She saw his expression change from one of resignation, to fond recollection, and then to sadness. She guessed Smallville held a few memories for him, both good and bad.

Clark sighed softly, then sipped his coffee.

"Um, so why were you upset?" he asked, clearly eager to change the subject. Lois knew she couldn't avoid it, and maybe talking it over with someone who didn't have such a vested interest would help.

"My father went missing while he was on a mission in Afghanistan. I've tried all the top brass in the military but they either can't or won't help. They keep saying it's classified."

"It must be frustrating," he said.

"The thing is, I get it. I mean, my dad's been practically all around the world on these missions and you know, being a general, it's his job. I just wish ..."

"You wish he'd spend more time at home," Clark finished.

"See, my mom died when I was six and it's like he suddenly forgot he had two daughters who just needed a father, not a military commander." She found herself telling him about her father executing a 'chain of command'. He would give the orders and she would pass them down the line, so to speak, making sure her sister obeyed the rules.

Clark shrugged. "I don't know. I guess maybe it was his way of coping."

"I know he loved my mother very much and he took it hard when she died."

He nodded, his expression showing complete understanding.

"Tell me about your parents," Lois said softly.

"Well, my mom was from Metropolis and she met my dad when he came up to do a finance course at Met U. My dad was a fifth generation farmer. He spent practically all his life on the farm."

"From what Chloe tells me, they were highly respected in the community."

"Yeah, they were."

"She said you don't like to talk about the accident."

He grinned suddenly.

"Is this an interview, Lois?"

She laughed, a little sheepish. "I guess it does sound that way, doesn't it?" She reached out and touched his hand. "I just really want to get to know you, that's all."

He looked a little uncomfortable at her touch, withdrawing his hand as if he'd experienced an electric shock.

"Lex kind of said the same thing," he told her.

"Lex?"

"He asked me to lunch earlier."

She chewed on her lip. "Clark, I think it only fair that I warn you about Lex. You can't trust him."

"So why are you ..."

"Okay, you're right. He offered to help me find out what happened to the general and I am using him, I guess, but ..."

"The other night, he seemed kind of possessive."

She grimaced. "Yeah. He does give that impression."

"Are you, um, seeing him?"

"No," she said emphatically. "I mean, I know he wants to and he keeps asking me out, but I'm not interested in him like that. I don't really have time for relationships."

"Because you're so focused on your career?" He nodded. "I can understand that. After Lana, I ... well, I kind of shied away from relationships."

"You must miss her very much."

"I do," he said. "Losing her and Laura ... I mean, there are so many times I wish I could go back in time and prevent it, but ..."

She grasped his hand again. "You can't think like that. I mean, you can't change the past, no matter how much you want to."

"I know," he sighed. "Still ..."

"Clark, Chloe told me you blame yourself for the accident. You shouldn't. I mean, I read the article in the Ledger."

He looked a little alarmed. "You read ...?"

"Hey, like you can talk," she said, opting for a teasing tone. "You're the one who left me flowers anonymously. Why did you anyway?"

"I was out walking one night and I saw you in the window of your apartment. You were crying."

Lois realised it must have been shortly after she had heard about her father. As much as she wanted to admonish Clark for what he'd done, especially as it really was a huge invasion of her privacy, she realised that he really did have only the best of intentions. He was clearly as gun-shy as she was when it came to relationships.

Her phone beeped with a text message. Jimmy.

_911. Perry's looking for you._

"Everything okay?" Clark asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. Just Perry on the warpath. This was nice, Clark. Thanks for listening."

He smiled. "You're welcome. Uh, any time you need a listening ear ..."

She grinned, handing over her phone. "Tell you what. You give me your cell number and I might just take you up on that."

He quickly added his number to her contacts list and handed the phone back. Lois got up to leave, pausing at the door to give him a brilliant smile. Maybe nothing had been resolved, but it really had felt good to talk to someone who wasn't part of her trusted inner circle. She had a feeling he wouldn't be on the outside for very long.

XXXXX

Clark was surprised once again to get another call from Lex the next day telling him to report to Perry's office at two o'clock that day. He did so, nervously knocking on the door and waiting for the man's order to enter.

Lex was sitting on the couch beside the huge desk, looking relaxed and casual.

"Clark," he smiled. "Good to see you're punctual."

"Mr Luthor."

"Lex, remember?" the man reminded him.

He nodded and shrugged. Another man stood up from the desk, holding out a hand. Clark looked him over. He was in his fifties with sandy-blond hair which was thin on top.

"Perry White," the man said. "You're Clark Kent?"

"Yes sir."

"Spent a couple of weeks in Smallville a few years ago. Investigating some oddities."

"Uh ..."

Lex distracted them. "Perry, I'll get out of your way." He got up and left, closing the door behind him. Perry told him to sit down and make himself comfortable.

"You're a friend of our publisher?" he asked.

"Uh, not exactly, sir," he replied.

The other man nodded. "Tell me about yourself. How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-three, sir. Twenty-four in May."

"What brought you to the Daily Planet?"

Clark found himself liking the older man as he began telling Perry about growing up in Smallville, the deaths of his parents and his marriage to Lana. The older man was alternately sympathetic and amused as Clark told him of his various investigative exploits with Chloe and his time working for the Smallville Torch.

"What about an education, son? You know, we can't just hire anyone who walks in off the street, no matter who they are friends with."

That was fair, Clark thought. He told Perry of his thoughts of taking classes at Met U.

"I know I'm green, sir, but I'm a hard worker."

"I appreciate that, son, but no matter what Lex promised you, I can't just hire you right off the bat."

"I'm not asking for a handout sir. The truth is, Lex ... well ..."

"Lex told you he could get you a job here." Perry nodded knowingly. "Lex may be my boss, but when it comes to reporters, I have a say in the hiring and firing. I do appreciate you coming in though."

The door was flung open and Lois came barging in.

"Perry, I think I've got something on this Intergang ..." She stopped, gazing at Clark. "Uh, Clark. Hi."

"Hi Lois," he said, feeling a little sheepish. She seemed to give herself a mental shake.

"Uh, what was I saying?"

"What about that fluff piece I gave you?" Perry asked.

"You know I don't do fluff pieces."

Clark frowned. What on Earth was a fluff piece? Perry saw his frown and started to explain.

"Father of five drowned last year saving his second-youngest child. Wife was pregnant with their fifth at the time."

Lois rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

"Maybe I could ..." Clark suggested hesitantly. "I mean, on a ... a freelance basis."

Perry thought it over, for about five seconds, then handed over a thick folder.

"Tell you what, kid, you do a good job on this, we might see about getting you a job here."

Clark grinned. "Thanks Mr White. I won't let you down."

He left the office, still grinning as Perry began lecturing Lois on the proper respect to show her editor. As he walked toward the stairs, he saw Lex in another office speaking agitatedly on a phone.

"I don't care how much noise he's making," he was saying. "You need to keep him under control. No, you listen to me. My plan is starting to come to fruition and I do not need the likes of Sam Lane ..."

Clark frowned. What was this about Lois' father, he thought, deciding to use his super-hearing.

Unlike most of his other powers, the super-hearing was the hardest one he'd had to learn to control. Nell had tried to ease his anxiety about his emerging abilities but she really had had no idea how to deal with it. As loving a foster mother as she was, she just wasn't equipped for it. Clark's abilities had been one of the major issues in Nell's marriage to Dean, although the couple had been careful not to place blame.

When Clark had first begun to develop the super-hearing, any noise had felt like someone was setting off a percussion in his head and it had hurt like hell. He'd found himself retreating to a quiet corner of the apartment, refusing even Lana's attention. It had been unbearable for the first few days until he'd learned to filter out the sounds.

Clark listened in on the conversation, slowly coming to the realisation that Sam Lane's disappearance had nothing to do with any insurgence in Afghanistan. Lex had forced someone to arrange an accident, keeping the general and his men detained in some twisted plan to make Lois turn to him. He was clearly trying to use it to seduce Lois. The question was, why? Why would he continue to pursue someone who clearly didn't want that kind of relationship with him? It just added to the mystery that was Lex Luthor.


End file.
